1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coating defect detecting and marking system for detecting a flaw, coating defect or the like on the outer surface of a coated vehicle or car, for example, and marking the actual position of such a defect on the car body surface for the convenience of subsequent mending or retouching.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, to mend or retouch a flaw or a coating defect caused by mixing of dust, dirt or bubble in the coating film on a coated car body surface, the car body surface is checked using a car body appearance tester, for example, and test results thus obtained, for example, information on the position and size of such a flaw or coating defect on the car body surface is displayed on a CRT screen or recorded by printing in a car body development. Based on the test data thus displayed or recorded, the worker in charge of the mending or retouching locates the flaw or defect on the car body surface and manually marks the actual position thereof on the car body surface.
That is, the position and size of a flaw or coating defect on the car body surface can be detected and acquired by the car body appearance tester, but they have to be marked by hand on the actual car body surface after all for mending or retouching the flaw or defect. Such marking work is troublesome and further there may possibly be an error between the detected position included in the test data and the actual position of the flaw or defect on the car body surface.
Accordingly, the present invention has an object to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art by providing a coating defect detecting and marking system adapted to detect a coating defect on a coated car body and mark its actual position on the car body surface automatically and accurately.
The above object can be attained by providing a coating defect detecting and marking system for detecting on the outer surface of a coated car body a flaw or coating defect to mend or retouch and marking it on the car body surface, the system comprising, according to the present invention:
an image pickup means provided along a production line along which the coated car body is conveyed to detect a defective spot to mend or retouch such as a flaw or coating defect on the car body surface; and
a marking means also provided along the production line to provide a jet of a marking solution for marking the detected defective spot in its actual position and/or size on the car body surface.
According to the present invention, the marking of a coating defect on the car body surface can be done automatically with a high accuracy and reliability.